Ghosts
by nyreelex
Summary: When a patient comes into the ER that stirs up old, painful memories for Dr. Rhodes, he must deal with his past. Now, the mean streets of Chicago, place Connor in a life threatening situation that he might not make it out alive from.
1. The New Case

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Saw how successful my other Chicago Med fix was, decided to write another one. Again, mainly centered on Rhodes. Still sad to see not a lot of C. Med stories out there, but the genre is growing little by little! Anyways, first chapter. Enjoy and please review! (BTW so excited for S2 premiere)'**

It was a usual day for the doctors of Gaffney Hospital. Civilians run over by cars, cardiac arrest, the unlucky guy who got mugged, or even the common cold always came in through the sliding glass doors of the ER. Today seemed like any other day, or so they seemed, and it started off with the usual routine.

"Dr. Choi," Maggie raised a patient chart at the approaching figure of Ethan, "Trauma 2, deep laceration to the right shoulder."

Choi responded with a quick, "thanks," before diving into his next patient.

As the blinking sirens of the ambulance outside flashed through the department, Maggie sighed as another flurry of people, patients, and gurneys strode in.

April came up next to Maggie, who saw her co-worker to be in a foul mood, "What is it, Maggie? she asked, sympathetically.

Maggie responded in a sarcastic tone, circling some words on the paper in front of her, "What is it with gloomy, Chicago days and everyone deciding to die all of a sudden? Get free housing in one of my beds?"

"Someone's just cranky her ER bed and breakfast got a bad review," April joked back before running off to tend to a patient.

"Mmmhmm," was her friend's only reply.

Another swoosh of the doors opening and the sound of the gurney wheels treading over the floor.

"17 year old female, hypothermic. Found in a an alley, dehydrated, in shock, and multiple minor traumas. We already started her on fluids," a paramedic recited back to Maggie, following the nurse into an empty trauma room.

"Good, the doctor will be right in," she assured him, before stepping into the room's doorway and motioning for Dr. Halstead to take on the case.

"Can't, sorry," he smiled a million bucks smile as an apology, but that didn't sway Maggie, "Got a patient."

"And why is that, doctor?" she folded her arms and looked at him, attitude resonating in her every move.

"Have I mentioned you look gorgeous in those scrubs? My god, you're making all the men here swoon," he complimented before turning around and stepping into a trauma room.

Maggie huffed, annoyed and tired, before calling the next doctor she saw in sight, "Dr. Manning! Natalie!" she called her by her friend's first name when she didn't hear her.

When Natalie approached, all smiles, Maggie reiterated what the paramedic had told her, "She's a little shaken up. Think you can handle it in there?"

"Absolutely," Manning responded, smiling, before stepping into the room and, in a soft tone, introduced herself to her patient.

Maggie nodded before returning to her desk, only to get a code for a 911 on her pager, direct from dispatch. Suicide attempt. A bad one by the looks of it.

"Ok, ok…" she half-whispered to herself, "Alright, clear trauma room 1! Trauma two minutes out!"

Maggie looked around for a doctor she trusted to take on the heavy case. Just who she wanted to see.

"Rhodes!" he looked up from a patient's chart he was signing off on, "Big trauma on its way in. You ready?"

He hurriedly walked over and set the chart down, attention on Maggie's words. Throwing on some new, clean gloves, Rhodes smirked at her and said, "It's another one of those days, Maggie.

Maggie responded with a "tell me about it," before the current trauma case came bursting through the doors. The gurney was slick with blood and there was heaps of gauze mounted on every part of the patient, all soaked in red. One paramedic was performing compressions on the patient's sternum, hoping to restore a heart rhythm. The others, along with the new team of nurses, pushed the gurney to the nearest trauma bay.

"What do we got?" Rhodes demanded from the paramedics, entering the room with a gown.

"31 year old female. Suicide attempt. Massive trauma to the head, neck, spine, and lower extremities. She had a pneumothorax in her right lung in the field. Jumped off of a three story building, but hit a fire escape on the way down!" one of the paramedics huffed, tired from performing the previous rounds of compressions.

Except, Connor had stopped listening. Long before the paramedic even went into describing the patient's injuries, symptoms, or situation. He stood motionless at the door. Unable to move. Think. Breath.

This breach in Rhodes' usual, hard manner caught Maggie's attention, like a protective mama bear over her cubs.

It took a quick nudge from one of the ER nurses for Conner to return to Rhodes mode. The serious, composed, confident, surgeon he always was.

"Uhh, okay," he began, hesitantly bending over the unrecognizable victim, "Julie, take over compressions," Rhodes pointed to a random nurse.

"Someone page cardio, ortho, neuro, and plastics for an emergency consult. Start a central line, push a 100 mg of morphine. And also!" Connor shouted to the entire trauma room, "we're going to need blood, and lots of it!"

He went back down to patient and started to try and control the bleeding. Namely, save this woman's life.


	2. Down and Dirty

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Sorry for the long breaks between updates, but if you've ever read my previous pics you already know it takes a little bit for me to update. Anyways, here's the next chapter. As I'm writing, I'm starting to realize that this fix is going to be more emotionally hurtful for Rhodes (even though there will be some definite physical injury) so bear with me, it's not going to be all sappy and whatnot. Please review and enjoy!**

Rhodes quickly exited the room of the newly stabilized suicidal patient who was on her way up to the OR right now. He had asked the other trauma surgeon on call to handle her operation, unable to stand in the same room as the patient any longer. He ripped off his gown, shredded his gloves, and was on his way to the nearest restroom. It was all too familiar. Bringing memories back that he had suppressed years ago. Rhodes needed to clear his head, repress the thoughts of his mother threatening to arise.

Maggie didn't miss a minute of it. She saw Connor, walk out of the trauma bay white as a sheet and sweating, remove his gown with shaky hands. He was making a bee line towards the bathroom, and she couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into him. This wasn't the cool collected surgeon she had grown to know and love.

"Halstead!" she hissed Will's name as he exited a trauma room after an evaluation.

He looked up when she called his name and made his way over to the nurses's station as he smiled at an nurse who scooted past him.

"Yes Maggie?" he questioned, focus still on his iPad where he updated his most recent patient's history.

"Hey, is Rhodes okay? Have you noticed anything wrong with him lately? Because I just saw him and-" she cut off when she saw that Dr. Halstead was busy typing away and hadn't heard a word she just said.

She made a face and crossed her arms, staring at Will in silence.

He still didn't notice. Just quickly grumbled about how much he "detested technology" as he pressed a wrong button.

"Oh, look! Natalie!" Maggie teased.

Will instantly perked up, almost dropping the iPad in an effort to look for Manning. When he didn't see her he looked back at Maggie curiously and confused.

"I will never understand doctors," Maggie murmured to herself before grabbing Will by the chin and emphasized slowly, "Rhodes. Is. He. Okay."

"Connor?" Will asked, confused at why Maggie asked, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just-" she cut off and pulled Will to the corner when she noticed a few eavesdropping nurses, restating in a quieter voice, "It's just that I saw him come out of a patient's room and he looked all shaken up. I was wondering if anything happened or something was wrong."

"Nothing that I know of…" he stopped to think, "But, why ask me?"

Halstead looked at Maggie questioningly and honestly naive of her intention. She stared back, arms folded and glare going strong.

"You want ME to ask him?!" he said what she was thinking, flabbergasted.

"Yes!" she answered, "Look, if I ask, I know he won't tell me. I already act like your guys' mother so do this for your momma!" she hissed, really milking it.

He sighed, trying to find an excuse to get out of this one but couldn't. Plus, Maggie was on the war path with this one, there was no use in fighting.

"Fine, fine" he groaned, "But all my traumas get rerouted to Choi."

She smiled before he turned around, on the lookout for the trauma surgeon he was supposed to find.

…

When he managed to get to the restroom after leaving his patient, Rhodes was a mess. His hands were shaking so hard that he could barely get the latch on the door shut. His breaths were coming out in gasps that were dangerously quick. the whole room spinning in different directions.

"What the hell?" was the outraged question Rhodes asked himself in a rugged, weak tone, looking down at his shivering, cold fingers.

This wasn't normal. This wasn't what was supposed to happen after a patient came in. Sure, she jumped off of a roof (which was truly horrific) but it wasn't like this was his first attempted suicide case. He had seen just about anything, some even more gruesome.

So what struck the chord with this specific one? He knew the answer. Early 30s, dark hair, pale complexion, depressed outlook. It was his mom all over again. The last time something like this happened to Connor he left his broken family and moved to some Spanish-speaking country for residency.

He glanced in the mirror, and his eyes widened at the image he saw. Face drained of all color, body slumped, breathing heavy, and heart racing. He needed a place to calm down and fast, because this could take a turn for the worse really quickly. Splashing some water over his face, Rhodes gained a little composure before heading out again.

….

And that's when Rhodes found himself on the roof. The only place in the whole hospital, all of Chicago, that he could get wrapped up in the breeze of the Windy City. He didn't have to think of his overbearing trauma fellowship, the new cardio fellowship now on top of that, his broken family, estranged sister, manipulative father….dead mother.

 _Damn, that patient,_ Rhodes thought in his mind. She really brought back cruel memories of his mom's motionless body, his father's false tears at her funeral, and her noticeable lack of presence throughout his childhood.

Here he watched the flow of ambulances enter the emergency bay, the ant-like forms of the people below, and let out a big sigh, closing his eyes.

Yet, he immediately opened them, gasping as he did. Engrained in his mind was the image of his lifeless, dead mother. Lying before him. Even the rooftop couldn't cure his anxiety.

Before he could continue trying to unwind, his pager blew up. Groaning, Rhodes glanced at it and saw a call from Dr. Downey.

 _Great_ , Connor thought, turning towards the door, " _Probably going to make me sit in his office and listen to another hour of Hawaiian music."_

The door shut behind the surgeon.

….


	3. Halstead's Hopeless Search

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Season 2 premiere tonight! So ready. Here's the next chapter, and the one after this is when the action is really going to start. Enjoy and review!**

Will seemed to be under Maggie's eye the whole day. Every test, biopsy, or conversation he had to try and delay his face to face with Rhodes was interrupted by the nurse. At last it reached a point where, for the first time in his whole medical career, Halstead had no patients and nothing to do.

Will cursed inwardly at the odds that HE was the one that had to try and get the tough, hard Rhodes to open up like a flower. Yet, as he searched the hallways, Will saw no sign of Connor.

 _Where the hell is this guy?_ Halstead asked himself, annoyed.

He rounded the corner and found, delightedly, Natalie filling out some paperwork outside of her patient's room.

"Natalie!" he called, walking up to her.

She glanced up to see who had called her name and smiled at the approaching doctor, "Hey Will."

"Listen, sorry to bother you, but have you seen Rhodes by any chance?" he asked.

She made a face, that cute expression where she crinkled her eyebrows, and thought back when she had last seen the surgeon, "Um, last I checked her was running the surgical wing and taking in all trauma cases."

 _Great_ , Will inwardly groaned, _Now I have to wait on him too?_

Alright, thanks Natalie," he said.

"Hey, Will," Natalie called after him as he was making his way to the elevators.

He instantly turned around, "Yeah?"

"Are you on your break right now? Maybe we can go grab a coffee," she offered.

And Will would've loved to have done nothing but that, but he had to find Rhodes or Maggie would have his ass and he'd be out of job with the zero patients that were coming to him.

"Damn, I wish I could," he said, truly apologetic, "Raincheck?"

She smiled, "Sure."

He turned back towards the elevator doors and cursed the world out under his breath.

….

Rhodes practically swiped his face mask off after the surgery he just performed. He was tired, jumpy, dazed, and dizzy. No condition to cut someone open, but he was good at what he did and the patient was going to be fine.

He was about to scrub down when he heard a "Rhodes" being called from outside the hall. The door to the scrub room opened and Halstead walked in.

"Finally, there you are" he said to himself, closing the door behind him.

"Where did I go?" Rhodes asked, confused.

"I've spent 45 damn minutes looking for you in this hospital," he huffed, out of breath from his trek throughout the building, "Didn't even know we had this many floors."

"Well, here I am, I guess," Rhodes said, wiping his wet hands, "Just a trauma surgeon on the surgical floor. Totally unusual."

"It's just-Manning- never mind," Halstead finally caught his breath.

"So, what can I do for you?" Rhodes asked, impatiently, he had other patients.

Will began, "Look, Maggie was worried about you. She thinks there's something wrong with you. She asked me to see if you were alright-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rhodes cut him off, "Maggie put you to this?"

Halstead nodded, "She's been on my ass about it all day."

Rhodes nodded and began to walk for the door.

"Hey, hey, wait," Will said, confused as to why Connor was leaving, "Where are you going?"

"To see my next patient," Rhodes started to get angry, "Look at me, Will. I'm fine. If I wasn't I wouldn't be here, performing surgery on a patient, and endangering a life like that."

Even though Rhodes knew perfectly well that wasn't true. But he needed everyone to get off of his case.

Will started getting annoyed as well. Rhodes was right, he looked fine. He was acting like the same arrogant, tough-guy surgeon he always was. What did Maggie even mean? Devastating traumas came in all the time, sometimes a few got to us, but we're trained to put our emotions behind us. Maybe a patient riled him up a little, but look at him now. Healthy and perfectly rational.

"Look Connor," Will started, trying to cool his temper, "I'm not the one who's begging hand over foot about your welfare, but some people have some concerns about you-"

Rhodes cut him off, "Then have them come directly to me next time."

He exited the scrub room, leaving a fuming Halstead inside cussing everything out for the second time that day.

…

"Don't ask me for anymore favors," Halstead told Maggie at the nurses' station, hoping for a nice, big trauma to distract him.

"Why?" Maggie asked, disappointed, "Didn't go well?"

"Let's just say our already strained relationship isn't a relationship anymore," Halstead put his head in his hands.

Maggie made a face, knowing something was bothering Rhodes but couldn't tell what. Just then she got an incoming trauma alert on her pager.

"Will, you're up," she nudged Halstead, who lifted his head, "Pedestrian versus automobile, one minute out."

….

When Connor walked in the next morning, he looked back on his uneasy night. For hours he was restless in his small apartment, sleep unable to come to him. He did everything from sweep his messy apartment to reading old medical journals in effort to fall asleep. He barely managed an hour around 5:15 am.

He knew the real reason. Every single time Rhodes closed his eyes his mother plagues his thoughts.

He sipped from his third cup of coffee that morning and said a quick hello to April and Maggie.

"You look lively today," Maggie commented, slightly suspicious.

"Didn't you hear, Maggie? It's Thursday. Traumas are always good on Tuesdays," he joked.

April laughed and playfully said, "That is so bad!"

He smiled and continued onto to the locker rooms.

Maggie slyly asked April after a few minutes, "Hey, April, have you noticed anything off about Connor?"

At first April thought she was joking, but Maggie continued to look at her with that worried expression on her face.

"Rhodes? Didn't you just see him? Yeah, he's the picture of sadness," she sarcastically said.

"I know it doesn't seem like it…" Maggie couldn't back up her claim.

"Mags, that's the happiest I've seen that guy been since he first rode in here doing compressions on a gurney," April pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Maggie agreed, but still not fully convinced.

Something was wrong. And she was going to find out.

…


	4. Sneaky Psych

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Here it is! Next chapter will start with the more physically injuring part of the story. Hope you enjoy and reviews appreciated! (PS the season premiere was so good)**

Three days had gone by and Connor Rhodes was quickly deteriorating. The lack of sleep, the absence of eating, the nonstop work brought out the deep blue bags under his eyes and the paleness of his skin.

Rhodes knew he should say something, get help, heck, get a few hours of sleep if he could. But he couldn't and he wouldn't. That wasn't the kind of person he was. He never asked for or wanted help, but was the rock everyone looked up to.

Yet, as each day went by, Rhodes continued to worsen and he knew it. People had even began to notice, especially a certain Nurse Lockwood.

Natalie and Will strode through the ER doors together bright and early to begin the work day. As they chit chatted with their coffees in their hands, commotion from deeper in the emergency room caught their attentions.

"Can't believe traumas are starting to mess with my morning schedule," Will dryly said.

Natalie and Will glanced over to take a look but immediately jumped back.

"MOVE!" was the only thing they heard.

Streaming past them was a gurney, dripping blood in its wake, and a certain trauma surgeon atop the patient's chest performing compressions and barking orders.

"Get an OR clear, now! Two breaths!" Rhodes screamed, sweating from compressions.

The crowd of people pushing the gurney disappeared around the corner, Rhodes shouting with them.

"What is that guy?" Natalie asked, Will and her walking up to Maggie at the nurses' station, "the Hulk?"

Maggie gave the disappearing gurney a suspicious side eye, "I don't know, but something is definitely going on with that boy."

"Is it just me, or does he look…different?" Natalie remarked.

"So it's not just me," Maggie half-whispered to herself.

Halstead spoke up, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dr. Charles, close by, saw the huddled group and walked up as Maggie said, "Well he's been saying he's going home at nights, but I think he stays here and runs the night shift. That's almost a 24 hour work day!" she said, astonished.

"Who is this?" Dr. Charles quizzically asked.

"Rhodes," Halstead responded, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Huh," the psychiatrist said to himself, intrigued.

Halstead looked at his watch, also addressing Natalie as he said, "We got to go, shift starts in 5."

The two ER doctors walked down the hall.

When they were out of range, Dr. Charles asked Maggie, "Notice anything else strange about Dr. Rhodes' behavior?"

"Mmm what do you mean by strange?" she asked back.

"Any major behavioral changes you've seen? Something about his appearance that you may have noticed?" he suggested, glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.

"I mean, you know Connor…" she bleakly protested, but knew Dr. Charles was on to something.

"Maggie," he softly urged, needing to know if Dr. Rhodes was alright, "I wouldn't ask unless it was important."

She sighed, "For the past few days, he's been working day in and day out. Now before you say anything, I know he does that practically everyday, he doesn't know the line between work and rest. But this is different. It's almost as if he needs to work, to distract himself."

"Humph," Dr. Charles tried to think, "Now what about Connor himself? Anything change looks wise?"

"Okay," she leaned, voice low, and vented, "I thought it was just me, but I've noticed he looks exhausted, like he hasn't slept for days. Yet, the man's working as if his life depended on it. But, I notice things…when he thinks no ones looking, like when he does anything to keep his eyes open or shakes his head like he's clearing away bad thoughts. I don't know, it's not like him."

"This is good, Maggie," he comforted, "I'll talk to him, see what I can do."

…

40 minutes later Dr. Charles finally got Connor Rhodes to step away from his piling work for 2 minutes to speak with him.

"Dr. Charles," Rhodes came up to the psychiatrist, his figure looking strong but Dr. Charles could see through the cracks, "You were asking for me?"

"Dr. Rhodes," he smiled back at the confused Connor, who was wondering why he was here, "Let's step into my office, if we may."

Rhodes nodded and followed Dr. Charles into his office, "Close the door behind you please, Connor," Dr. Charles called before settling into his chair.

Rhodes did as he was told and awkwardly stood in the center of the room, waiting for Dr. Charles to begin.

"Sit down, sit down," Dr. Charles suggested, "make yourself at home."

"Sorry, Dr. Charles," Rhodes apologized, "but did you need me for something?"

"Well, no," the shrink began, "but I think that maybe you do."

"Excuse me?" was the confused response.

"How's the job going?" he asked, innocently.

"Good, I guess," Rhodes was becoming irritated, "What's all this about?"

Dr. Charles looked Connor over with a keen eyes. Maggie's description was low balling it. The guy looked as if he hadn't even thought about sleep in at least 48 hours. The bags under his eyes were clearly evident, but it only brought out the paleness of his skin even further. His eyes were red from lack of sleep and he looked unkept, probably from working so many shifts.

"Dr. Rhodes," he got straight to the point, "A few people in this hospital have voiced some concerns about your well being, myself included."

Rhodes put a hand to his head, "Oh gosh, has Maggie gotten into everybody's head?"

"Connor," Dr. Charles' voice was gentle, "do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Dr. Charles, even though I appreciate your concern-"

"Just a few, I promise," he insisted.

Rhodes groaned before reluctantly agreeing.

"Have you noticed a change in you at all recently?" was question number 1.

"No," Connor lied.

Dr. Charles only skeptically looked at him, he knew getting Rhodes to open up wasn't going to be easy.

"Experience any headaches, nausea, or insomnia?" Question 2.

"No," was the second lie.

"I was informed you've been doing extra shifts when you've already have all your hours filled. Why is that?" Dr. Charles asked.

"Had some extra time lately, figured this would be a good way to keep up my trauma fellowship so it didn't interfere with my new cardio fellowship," Rhodes' answer was partly true.

"I see," Dr. Charles jotted down some notes.

"We done?" Rhodes impatiently inquired.

"One last question before we're done here," Dr. Charles said, "Sorry to have kept you here while you're working."

"Not a problem," Connor responded.

"How many hours of sleep did you get last night?" Dr. Charles asked.

"Around 3," was the quiet reply. This wasn't a reply.

Dr. Charles eyes widened, and nodded his head, writing it down.

 _Not good, but not as bad as it could have been_ , Dr. Charles thought to himself.

Rhodes' continuation of the sentence made Dr. Charles freeze.

Connor admitted, "In the last three days."

Dr. Charles was still, before slowly crossing out the number he had written down in his notepad.

He stood up, trying not to make too obvious what he was doing.

"So," he stalled, "What's keeping you up at night, would you say?"

"Sorry, Dr. Charles," Rhodes chuckled, tiredly, "as much as I love our little talks, I've got to get back to work."

"Yeah, yeah. Totally understand, but just one thing before you go," Dr. Charles continued to distract the sleep deprived surgeon. _Just a bit longer._

"Yes?" Rhodes sighed, antsy to leave.

 _Got it._

Dr. Charles walked over to Rhodes, a small syringe in his hand.

"Just need to administer a small shot,"Dr. Charles said, innocently, "Protocol, you know how it is."

Rhodes nodded, confused, but held out his forearm. The contents of the needle disappeared into Connor's bloodstream.

"What is it, if you don't mind me asking?" Rhodes suspiciously questioned.

Dr. Charles led Rhodes to his couch before responding, sitting him down.

"Just a small sedative," Dr. Charles slyly said, "Every good psych has a syringe."

Rhodes at first was shocked, surprised he didn't see this coming. Yet, he immediately started feeling the effects. His already very drowsy eyes couldn't even stay open. If Dr. Charles hadn't taken him to the couch he probably would have dropped onto the floor. His movements slowing, Dr. Charles helped the woozy Rhodes lie down.

Before completely knocking out, Rhodes said, "Sneaky bastard," and was out in literally seconds.

Dr. Charles only smiled, dimming the lights and closing the door.

….


	5. Headache(s)

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Been so busy so sorry for the long waiting time for the next update. Here it is! Enjoy and please review!**

"Super Surgeon's sleeping?" Maggie was shocked when Dr. Charles nonchalantly said Dr. Rhodes was asleep.

"I mean the guy hadn't slept in days," Dr. Charles would never say he was tired again, "Something had to trigger that kind of behavior though, Maggie."

They were huddled up against the nurses station, voices low, "I don't know, but for right now let's just let the poor guy get some rest."

Dr. Charles nodded his head, before Maggie was pulled back into the incoming trauma.

…

When her shift was over, Maggie, trying not to look suspicious, made her way over to Dr. Charles' office.

She reached his door, no questions asked, and as she was about to open it, she heard someone call her name.

"Maggie!"

She turned around, a big smile on her face to not make whoever called her the wiser. It was Will.

 _He's going to be tough to shake off_ , she thought.

"Yes Dr. Halstead?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Have you see Connor around? I just wanted to apologize for our little outburst earlier," he asked.

"No, no," she shrugged her shoulders, "haven't seen him around."

"Well if you do," he said, starting to walk down the corridor, "tell him Will's looking for him."

Maggie put on a big smile, "Will do."

She watched him as he walked away, about to open the door when Will turned around again and called, "What are you doing anyways?"

 _Ugh Will, just keep walking!_

"Oh, Dr. Charles asked me to grab some files from his desk while he's with a patient," Maggie improvised.

Will had a look of confusion on his face, "He asked you? The head trauma nurse to go grab his papers?"

"Everyone's got to do their part," she faked being angry so he would leave, "Got a problem?"

"Not at all," Halstead put his hands up in false surrender.

"Hmph," she murmured to herself as he continued down the hall.

 _"_ _Maggie!"_

The small shriek from behind her made her yelp. She huffed in relief when she saw the smiling Dr. Charles staring down at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" she said.

"Well good thing we're in a hospital then," he remarked, "have you gone in yet?"

"I was just about to," she replied.

He motioned for her to open the door to the dark office, lights turned off for sleeping beauty.

Yet, Maggie and Dr. Charles' mouths dropped when the door swung wide, dumbfounded. All there was in the room were the psych's piles of papers, an empty couch, and some ruffled blankets on top. No Connor Rhodes to be found.

….

Rhodes yawned like a lion. Even though Dr. Charles' little trick helped him gain back about an hour or two of some well needed snoozing, how dreams were plagued with that of his mother. Nothing bad, nothing good. Just a constant reminder of her loss. The sedative, which should've lasted a few more hours, wore off in half the time.

Connor remembered waking up, at first unaware of where he was or what had happened. Then the past few days dawned on him and his exhaustion as well. No matter how tired he was though, he was instantly awake. And he would make sure Dr. Charles wouldn't pull anymore fast ones.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Rhodes," Connor introduced himself as he walked into the patient's room, "What seems to be the problem here?"

Connor didn't usually work in this wing of the hospital, but he had taken the clinic shift in an effort to stay hidden from Maggie.

The man on the bed, a regular looking guy, responded, "Hi, for the past few days I've been getting these really sharp headaches."

The patient's face was contorted in pain. Rhodes sat down on one of those rolling chairs and moved closer to the patient, asking some questions, "How would you describe the headaches?"

"Like someone's slicing my skull open right down the middle," the patient was rubbing his temples.

"Have you noticed a trend in when they occur? Maybe a certain time of the day or-"

"Oh definitely after the voices," he responded.

Rhodes was caught off guard, not expecting that, "I'm sorry sir, what did you say?"

"After the voices!" he was becoming agitated, rubbing his head harder and faster.

"Alright, alright, sir, I understand. Let me call someone really quick to come help with those headaches." Rhodes made his way to the phone to page the psych department.

He was delayed by commotion behind him. Suddenly there was a small, hostile shout, a flash of metal, and pain in his abdomen.

The patient had jumped off the table and was talking gibberish.

But Connor didn't care. All he was worried about was the sharp, glinting scrap metal piece protruding from his belly. Blood immediately began to pool around the wound and drip onto the floor.

The man kept whispering to himself, his headache, real or not, setting him off. He left the room without any evident knowledge that he just stabbed someone.

But Rhodes was well aware of the fact. His vision was quickly becoming woozy and his face pale. Waves of nausea hit him hard as his knees buckled and his already weak frame fell to the floor. Blood was spreading like a curtain around him, but no one was around. No one knew he was here. Dying. Bleeding out.

"H-help…" was the strained, low cry. There was no polo to his marco.

He looked down at his stomach, the flash of the metal piece blinding him. He was a doctor, but a panicked, attacked, hemorrhaging one. He knew that if he pulled the shard out it would only make the blood flow faster but the longer the metal stayed in place the higher the risk of infection, etc. That's if someone got to him.

Now Rhodes was in real danger of not being found in time. He called out for somebody, anybody, one more time before he was feeling faint. His breaths were coming out in small gasps and the last thing he did before the closed door shut him in the room for who knows how long was a risky move.

Rhodes knew that the weapon was the only thing keeping him alive at the moment, yet it was also the only thing that could help save his life. He was fading fast and Connor knew he had only seconds. Yanking out the metal piece, delirious with blood loss, he cried in pain and threw the shard with all his might at the window, cracking the glass.

His finally moments of consciousness was that of relief that his risky plan worked, yet now it all depended on someone noticing the crack in the room's window. Also, the only thing stabilizing him was now lodged in the window which meant that blood began to pour like rain. The gradual puddle of red around him grew fatter in seconds.

Yet, there was nothing more after that as Rhodes' head hit the floor and his eyes rolled in the back of his head.


	6. Reese to the Rescue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Next chapter! Enjoy and reviews greatly appreciated!**

Sarah Reese was in the elevator that slowly moved downwards. The lounge music playing above was soft and relaxing, calming her nerves as she was heading down to her first solo psych consult. She had been a resident for Dr. Charles a few months now and he gave her this chance to gather information, assess the patient, make a diagnosis, and run it back by him.

The floors slowly ticked off, 5, 4, 3… until she would eventually reach the first floor where the clinic was. A doctor had paged the psych department from there about a consult on a patient, though she didn't have any details since oddly the nurse told her the call cut off.

The doors lazily drew open and she stepped out into the clinic, the waiting room full of sniffling kids and mild scrapes. She hated it down here, where people who thought a paper cut meant a trip the hospital. Reese walked up to the closest nurses' station and asked the nurse on shift, "Hi, I'm from the psych department. We got a page for a patient."

The nurse smiled and said, "Yes, I'm not sure why the call cut off. Sorry about that, let me just double check what room."

Reese smiled back in response. After a few moments, the lady spoke up again, "Yes, room 7."

"Thank you," Sarah said before leaving.

She stopped before continuing, taking a deep breath and hoping she wouldn't mess up her first chance to prove herself. Sarah started to walk down the hall, looking for room 7.

….

"Hey Ethan, have you seen Connor?" Will asked his fellow resident between patients.

"Sorry man, I haven't seen him for a while now. You check cardio?" he asked before heading into a new patient's room.

"Yeah, 6 times," Will murmured to himself, slightly frustrated, signing off on a chart.

It didn't make sense, every time Will would rather seen anybody in the world but Connor-BAM, there he is. Right smack in Halstead's business. Of course the (possibly) only time ever that Will was looking for Rhodes and wanting to apologize, he was no where to be found. He spotted Manning, heart jumping a little every time she was near and asked her the same question.

"No" Natalie answered, looking puzzled, "that's weird, he's never MIA."

"Well he's just full of surprises isn't he," Will annoyingly remarked, frustrated at this long quest for the surgeon.

Natalie jokingly hit Will lightly in the arm, chuckling as she said, "Don't say that, he could be-oh I don't know- on the floor somewhere dying!"

And that he was. Little did Will and Natalie know that 500 yards away Connor Rhodes was bleeding out on the other side of the first floor.

Which is where Reese was at the moment, jittery as she searched for room 7. She passed by one of the windows and checked her reflection, hoping to look professional. She tucked in some flyaway but something else caught her attention, it looked like a glass spider web and and backwards 7.

She turned around, surprised to see the window of just the room she was looking for shattered, cracks streaking the glass. Reese was puzzled, what happened here? She took a step closer and what she saw next almost made her faint.

Through the slightly tinted glass she could make out a deep red liquid staining the floor, and a part of somebody's leg.

"Oh my gosh!" Reese barely managed as she sprinted into the room.

What she saw next made Reese almost vomit, laying in what was once blue surgery scrubs but now stained red was Dr. Connor Rhodes. The outstanding surgeon, unmatchable in skill, was almost dead on the floor in front of her.

Millions of questions ran in Reese's head: _How'd this happen? Who did this? What was Dr. Rhodes doing down here? How long was he lying here floor? Was he even alive?_

She couldn't slow down her breathing and it took her a good couple seconds for her to realize that she was actually doctor and could help him. But it was her first year, and she just became a resident, a psychiatric resident too! She wasn't equipped for this.

But a groan from Connor brought Reese back to the present and she yelled out the door, "911! I need a gurney and a crash cart! NOW!"

Reese slammed on the code button by the door which sent off the alarm. She almost slipped in the massive pool of blood coming from Rhodes.

"Umm, okay…" she whispered to herself in a very shaky voice, "Uh…right, stop the bleeding"

She immediately dove in and checked his pulse, sweating in relief that a very faint, thready one was there. But if he kept bleeding at this rate, not for much longer.

She ripped off her medical coat, white as snow, and pushed on the blood volcano wound coming from his stomach. She couldn't see the size of the wound since it was drenched in red, barely able to navigate where the blood was actually pouring out from.

She could hear the wheels of the crash cart down the hall on its way but she yelled again, "Crash car! I need it now!"

Instantly, it appeared in the room four nurses and a security guard running in with it. One of the nurses almost fainted. The security guard yelled in his radio some kind of code that Reese inferred was the attack signal.

They were all looking at her. _You can do this, Sarah_.

"We need to get him on this gurney and in the ER right now or he'll be gone in less than 5 minutes."

She put her knee to her now scarlet lab coat and saw the nurses slip the gurney under Rhodes' motionless form. He was more or less secure, Reese half on the gurney with her leg still pressed on the wound.

"Go! Now!" she yelled, and they were mobile.

One nurse gave oxygen through a bag valve mask, two pushed the gurney at a dangerous speed, the other clearing the human traffic as they made a mad dash for the emergency department.

"Clear the way!" Reese barely even registered she was screaming at the awestruck crowd, only praying _please don't die, please don't die!_

The metal doors were shutting fast around the hospital, standard procedure when someone was attacked and the person who did it wasn't found. But they had to make it to the ED. They had to make because if they didn't, Connor Rhodes would be dead in less than 90 seconds.


	7. Hanging in the Balance

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Next chapter! Please review!**

"One non fat cappuccino," Halstead set down the piping hit coffee on the table, "and black."

Will sat on the bench next to Natalie, enjoying their well needed break. Both sat outside on the tables directly adjacent to the ED, the two wanted to get away from work but they couldn't go that far.

"Thanks, Will," Natalie smiled back, picking up the steaming paper cup.

Will took a sip and let out a satisfactory, "Ahh."

Natalie started off the conversation, "Hey, look at this picture of Owen I took last night. Gosh he's getting so big! This is him holding himself up all by himself," she showed the phone to Halstead.

Will smiled, "Maybe got a future Bears quarterback in the making."

Natalie laughed, "After all the football injuries I've seen throughout the years, he's never even going to pick up a football."

"Boys are stupid, Natalie," Will teased back, " Especially teenage, high school boys."

"Uh, please no," she complained, not even thinking about the stress of prom and college coming down the line.

"Just wait-" Will started, but was instantly cut off by loud, blaring alarms.

Halstead immediately stood up, looking to the direction of the hospital, where the source of the noise was and loud, metal doors closing the entrance. He sprinted, Manning right behind him. Two coffee cups were left stranded at the table and it began to rain.

….

"BP 80/50!" Sarah screamed, still clinging onto Rhodes' rushing gurney.

They almost hit an orderly on their way in, but now was no time for apologies. The ED doors were in the process of closing, but the gurney, with its 5 passengers, flew in. The gurney pivoted into the nearest trauma bay available, everyone in the emergency room's eyes holding millions of questions.

The doctors, nurses, and patients in the ED were curious as to why the sudden alarms and metal doors and now the speeding gurney with blood dripping in its wake. Who was it on the gurney?

Maggie among them, she jogged up to who she recognized as Reese on the gurney and asked, "Reese! What the heck is going on here? And who are you on?"

Reese was breathing hard, exhausted, though the adrenaline in her hadn't fully worn off yet. She barked at the nurses' to page every department she could think of, intubate, put in a chest tube, _stop all this goddamn bleeding_.

"Reese!" Maggie shouted again over all the commotion.

Reese's eyes were like flames when she looked up, blood staining her skin and clothes. She said one name and Maggie's world came crashing down.

"It's Rhodes!"

….

"What the hell is going on here?" Will said aloud, Natalie close enough to hear his comment.

"A lockdown drill? What for?" she inquired.

They fast-walked towards the now sealed ER doors, a strange sight for the two emergency physicians. As Halstead looked around, he saw police cars, hospital security, and officers surrounding the building and trying to control the growing crowd. Halstead saw an officer talking with one of the hospital security guards and decided to find out for himself what exactly was going on.

He walked up the pair, conversing in low voices but ceased when they saw Will approaching, "Excuse me officers, but what's going on here? A drill?"

The security guard answered, "Someone was attacked in the hospital."

Natalie heard this, "Attacked?" she repeated, horrified.

"Yes, ma'm," the police officer now took over, "But our men are inside and we have a suspect contained upstairs. Shouldn't be long now before you all can go back inside."

"Who was attacked?" Halstead asked, hoping the poor sucker who bit it was okay.

"We don't have any details yet, but he seemed to be in pretty bad shape," the officer said.

Will nodded, thanking the two before walking away with Natalie.

"I wonder who it could be?" Natalie asked.

….

"Dr. Choi to the ED!" came the worried and distressed voice over the intercom.

Ethan heard the fear in the voice and sprinted from the locker room, making a bee line to the ED. Unusual images flashed in front of him as he ran, unsure why so many police officers were present and flashing lights going off.

He turned the corner to the ER entrance and stopped in his tracks. The usual big, open doors that led to his workplace were blocked by a huge metal wall. He was confused and about to say something when a security guard approached him and said, "Dr. Choi, right this way."

He was jogging towards a bolted side door, unlocking it with a special key card. Choi was starting to get worried, why police escort, lockdown, and rush?

He bolted after the guard and was greeted by silence in the full ER. Nurses watched in stunned silence, some in tears. Maggie was pacing back and forth, her expression grave, and rushed to Choi when she saw him enter.

"Ethan! She needs you! He needs you!" she blurted out, barely comprehending the situation.

"What?" Choi was getting frustrated from all the cryptic stuff going on, "Maggie, what happened?"

Before she could answer someone from behind him yelled, "BP dropping!"

He whirled around, still confused, but saw blood all over the floor, and raced in. Ethan was surprised to see Reese, sweating, panting and performing compressions on a prone, pale body.

It was a mess. This small pack of nurses, one psych resident, and a security guard, had gone every which way to save this guy. Choi saw an intubation tube, a chest tube sticking out somewhere, a crash cart hurriedly swung to the side, and…was that a pair of _scrubs_?

Choi's world started spinning, he recognized that scrub color. Surgical scrubs. This patient, bleeding out was one of their own?

He was horrified, but Choi saw the sweat dripping off of Sarah and put his game face on.

"Reese, I've got it from here," he stepped up the gurney, crowded by people who were desperately relieved a professional had finally arrived.

She let go, almost tripping due to how tired and out of breath she was, "Its….its…" words failed her, she needed to catch her breathe.

Choi got into position perfectly, poise flawless after years of practice. He pumped the patient's heart, not even having the chance to see who was lying on the table due to the crowd blocking the face and intensity of saving a fellow employee. He pounded on the chest, the nurses working on stopping the gushing blood before he shouted, "Paddles! Charge to 300!"

 _Come on, buddy._ _Live!_ he inwardly yelled in frustration.

It was only when he stepped back from the gurney to grab the paddles did he get a glimpse at the dark hair and pale face of the patient. He stopped, shocked into place, and did a double take.

"Rhodes?!" he practically yelled when asking those around him. Nobody would look him in the eye.

This half dead patient was Connor?! Ethan new Rhodes better than well, they worked together, bonded, and if there was one thing Connor was sure to implant in your mind was that he could take care of himself. But here he was, still on the table, and his body draining of all the blood it had.

The dreaded beep of the heart monitor resonated in the room, everyone's fears manifesting into real life.

"Clear!"

….


	8. Down to the Wire

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Please review and enjoy!**

….

"Lockdown, lockdown." said the overhead speakers on repeat, all the while flashing lights filled each sector of the hospital.

"One more of epi!" was the only thing louder than the blaring alarms.

Choi was drenched in sweat at this point, having already done two rounds of CPR.

The nurse standing next to him plunged in another syringe into Rhodes' IV. Reese was currently rubbing her hands, having done the last set of compressions, but intently stared at the heart monitor, willing it to beat.

"How long has he been down?" Choi asked, anger in his voice.

It wasn't fair. How did the guy who busted his ass for not only every patient and department, but for this whole hospital, end up coding on the table?

"4 minutes," Maggie grimly responded, standing in the doorway, numb.

The epipen had surely entered Connor's system by now, so Choi announced, "Paddles! Charge to 300!"

Ethan didn't even see who passed them to him, just took the things and yelled, "Clear!" before the electricity raced through Rhodes.

It took a sickening second before the quiet heart monitor decided to finally show some signs of life. Rhodes' heart gently began beating once more.

Everyone in the entire ED visibly shook with relief, Maggie thanking the big guy upstairs over and over again.

Ethan was for sure dripping at this point, but he either didn't notice or didn't care because he addressed everyone when he said, "We're not out of the woods yet. We need to stop the bleeding, maintain the heart rhythm, clear an OR, and check if there wasn't any brain damage while he was out."

The happiness was short-lived after Choi's announcement, but they all went to work. Maggie got to the phones, calling, paging, and channeling anyone that could help get these doors back open and Rhodes up to the OR.

Reese worked side by side Choi, the two doctors intent on stopping the excessive bleeding from the wounds and work to replenish that lost blood with the limited O negative bags they had.

"I can't tell if there's any internal damage to his organs," Choi said to Reese, discouragingly, "The only thing we can do is patch him up and wait for these damn doors to open. And fast."

Reese nodded, knowing how slim their, and Connor's, chances were.

…

Maggie had been on the phone lines for the past seven minutes trying to get in contact with any who had the authority to open the metal doors trapping the staff in the ED. Connor was…stable at the very least. Though, in his critical condition, that could change at any given moment.

"No, I can't hold sir," she frustratingly responded on the phone, "Sir-no sir, listen to me, we have a patient here who won't make it to the next hour if we don't get these doors open and a surgeon inside him. Kapeesh?"

Choi dejectedly listened to Maggie fight for Connor's life via cell, keeping an extremely watchful eye on his friend. The finite amount of blood bags they had diminished even further as they raced into Rhodes' bloodstream.

"Thank you, Chief," he heard Maggie say in relief, "Thank you." she hung up.

"That was the Chicago PD police chief," she announced to the emergency department, "They just got the all clear sign, doors opening!"

The next moment was chaos. Choi yelling at free nurses, orderlies, and the lone security guard to check this, handle that, observe what not. The minute the doors open, they were sprinting out of here.

"Doors open!" Maggie shouted.

"Go! Go! Go!" Choi's own shouts followed hers.

Once again, the flying gurney sped through the hospital halls.

….

"Finally," Halstead groaned as he slipped on his lab coat once more, "We're stranded outside the one day its burning up in an October in Chicago."

"I will never take air condition for advantage ever again," Natalie played along as they walked back into the ED.

Though their smiles quickly fell as they saw Maggie's distressed expression, anxiously writing down in a patient's chart. She was mumbling under her breath and the pen in her hand was shaking, clearly shaken up.

"Maggie," Natalie said, worried, as she and Will walked up to her desk, "Maggie, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, Maggie, are you okay?" Will also asked, concerned.

"Connor just went up to the OR, doesn't look to good," her voice wavered and she pushed some fly aways out of her face.

"Tough surgery for him?" Natalie asked, "What, the patient isn't going to make it?"

"Did he know the person he's operating on?" Will added.

Maggie was horrified. Here she was, staring at the faces of two of her closest friends and about to bring their world crashing down around them.

"Y-you don't know?" she barely managed, bringing a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Is he operating on the person who got attacked?" Halstead asked, becoming impatient with the lack of answers.

"No," she started, not knowing how to proceed, "No, he's not operating. Dr. Shulks is actually, Connor isn't in good shape." Maggie looked to the floor.

"What, did something happen to him?" Halstead now questioned, becoming more aggressive and worried each second.

Natalie understood after a few seconds, covering her mouth with her hands and willing the tears in her eyes to stay put, "No…"

Maggie still didn't respond, just looked at them sympathetically and trying not to cry herself.

"Natalie, what is it?!" Halstead was loosing it, finally understanding where Maggie was going with this, "Maggie, what's wrong with him?!"

Maggie just put a hand on his forearm, trying to calm his nerves. But Halstead wouldn't have it. Eyes wild, he raced up to the OR floors.

…

"Go! Go! Go!"

Reese heard that and they were off, like a race horse on its last lap. The 5 staff members pushing the gurney screamed at people to clear the way. The security guard tagging along with them this whole time, who earlier introduced himself as Larry, sprinted in front of the gurney and slammed on the upwards arrow on the elevator control panel.

Conveniently, the doors opened just as they were hastily approaching and screamed another series of shouts for those riding the elevator to jump out.

The crew slid into the elevator and Larry did his duty and heavily pushed the button that held the OR floors.

"Stats low," a nurse called, everyone tense.

"Reese, keep pressure on that wound," Choi ordered, looking at her white knuckles as she pressed all her weight on the blood soaked towel covering Rhodes' wound.

The floors dinged by, and a slight groan caught everyone's attention. Ethan immediately looked to his friend on the gurney, seeing Connor's blue eyes come to life, though they seemed sluggish and dazed.

"Connor," Choi put all his focus on his friend, "Connor, can you hear me?"

Another incomprehensible groan.

"Connor, it's me. Ethan. You're in the hospital. Can you hear me?" Choi emphasized that last question.

"M-mom…" was the quiet answer he received, Rhodes evidently in another world.

His hazy blue eyes slammed shut, but was followed by an extreme fit of coughing.

"Dammnit!" Choi yelled, everyone beginning to panic in the tight elevator, "Nurse, turn him to his side! Secure him! Larry, get this damn elevator open and us in an OR, now!"

All of this was barely audible over the constant, gut wrenching coughs racking Rhodes' body. It was as if he was coughing up all his organs. Which he was.

Blood soon stained Rhodes' mouth and the towel one of the nurses held in front of his face. It slowly but surely dripped off the gurney and some of his stitches burst open as a result of all of the movement.

Reese was in full fledge shock. She watched as her co-worker bled to death in front of her for the umpteenth time _today_. Choi was reciting enough curses to make anyone roll in their grave.

Larry had some success and finally managed to get the slow moving elevator to the surgical floor where they all raced for Connor's life to the nearest OR.

"Page, Dr. Shulks!" Choi screamed to one of the nurses at the front desk, all of the staff's eyes fixed on the racing gurney that left a blood trail in its wake.

….


	9. Stuck in the Middle

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Next chapter, please review! I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but would love to think what you all think! Please comment some suggestions! Enjoy!**

Halstead's vision was a blur of shapes and colors as he scrambled his way up to the surgical floor like a mad man. He had seen Sarah, hands on her knees out of exhaustion, on his wild sprint out of the ED.

Two elevator rides, one long climb of stairs, and 6 hallways later, Will flew open the door to the scrub room, with a perfect view of the operating room behind the glass. His eyes were crazed, delirious with doubts, and he barely managed to loosely apply a surgical mask and enter the OR when a figure at the door barred him from doing so.

"No, Will," Choi the human wall said to his distressed co-worker, "Don't."

"Choi, I can help," Halstead weakly tried persuading his friend to let him in, "Just let me see him, see what I can do-"

He didn't have the chance to finish. Ethan's expression was like stone, shaking his head.

Now Will was furious.

"I sat outside for hours waiting, sitting, laughing. All the while one of my own is bleeding out two hundred yards from where I stood. How would that make you feel? Huh? Ethan, I need to go in and see. I need to know that this isn't, in some twisted way, all my fault. If I had only just been there, stepped in to see and stop this son of a-"

Again, Will was cut off by Choi who was looking perfectly calm…on the outside.

On the inside, Choi was cussing himself out as well. _Where were you, Ethan? Where were you when Sarah, a first year psych resident, was doing all the dirty work?_

He tried to remember, oh yeah, that's right. He was in the break room eating his packed lunch. How productive.

"Will, I understand how you feel," Choi began, continuing as Halstead was about to protest, "Believe me, I do. The best thing that we can do right now though is get downstairs, find this bastard, and help save some lives. Have you met Rhodes? The guy won't bite it without rubbing it in first."

Will sighed, mentally drained, "Yeah well, don't think we're going to be getting any more patients today. All traumas are being rerouted to other hospitals because of the lockdown."

 _Great_ , Ethan groaned inwardly as he and Halstead exited the scrub room, _Nothing to keep us busy then._

….

When Dr. Shulks stepped into the ED, slipping off his scrub cap, Maggie, Sharon, Choi, Manning, Will, April, and Reese slammed him with demands of Rhodes' status.

"How is he doc?" Maggie asked, her breath caught in her throat.

"Frankly, Dr. Rhodes is an extremely, extremely lucky fella. A couple minutes longer and I'm sure we would have lost him. The surgery was difficult, and he still isn't out of the woods yet. These next few days are crucial, Dr. Rhodes is in the ICU now, we have him sedated and on a ventilator. His progress will determine when we can wean him off the sedatives and have him breathing on his own. When he wakes up, we're going to be sending in a neurologist as well to determine his cognitive and motor skills."

The ED staff clung on to his every word, everyone breathing in relief when they heard their friend was still alive.

"When can we see him, doctor?" Mrs. Goodwin asked.

"I'll be sending a nurse down to inform you when, but only two people in the room at all times, his immune system is incredibly weak and we need to limit the amount of human contact he has," Dr. Shulks sympathetically answered.

She nodded and he exited the ED into the elevators.

…

Halstead was right, there were no more incoming patients which meant the doctors all sat around the break room table, trying not to let their worst fears get the better of them.

Of course, Mrs. Goodwin excused all of them to go home early, but nobody did. Nobody could. Not when Connor was lying in critical condition a few floors above them.

Will felt absolutely miserable, he couldn't help blaming himself every chance he got. He was sure Natalie felt the same way with the grimacing look she had.

A nurse came into the break room a few hours later, seeing all the doctors sullen sitting around the round table.

"Ummm…Dr. Rhodes?" the nurse asked, confused. All the doctors and nurses in the room stood, immediately running up to the small nurse who felt greatly overwhelmed.

"How is he?" Will started off the bout of questions.

More questions flew in the nurse's direction, but she cut them off by saying two people were allowed to visit him now.

Will and Maggie immediately volunteered, nobody protesting.

On their way up, Will started to feel slightly apprehensive. They were walking into a patient's room, with a surgeon consulting them, except this time the roles were reversed. Rhodes was the patient, it wasn't right.

As they walked into the ICU, Will couldn't help but be surprised. Compared to the loud hustle and bustle of the ER, the ICU was a library. Everyone spoke in hushed voices and the floor itself was small.

They followed the nurse like ducklings as she weaved her way through the halls and finally turned into a doorway, entering the patient's room. Their patient's room.

Maggie and Will both stopped outside the entrance, trying to prepare themselves to enter. It was ironic, ER doctors and nurses tended to make good ICU staff because they were accustomed to brutal traumas. This was no where near the same thing.

They hesitantly entered the doorway.

…

Rhodes was lost in his own mind, a deep, black nothingness which, honestly, he didn't want to come out of anytime soon.

This was the most amount of sleep he had gotten in days, though something felt wrong in the back of his mind. He remembered getting up, going to work, none of this sleeping stuff.

And then it hit him like a wave. The memories of the moments leading up to his peaceful blackness. A glint of metal, a telephone on the wall, headaches, broken mirrors, then nothing at all.

He was angry and anxious and unable to move. He had to get out of here, get that bastard that tried to kill him. But try as he might, there was no way getting out of this darkness that had grabbed ahold of him.

His nervousness couldn't stay bundled inside him, his mind, one that was supposed to be resting, was resisting. It was like he was trapped in a useless body, a corpse.

He needed to get out of here.

Then the bad things started piling on top of each other.

….

"He's seizing!" Halstead screamed from Rhodes' ICU room.

One minute, he's checking Connor's vitals, the next, he's having a tonic-clonic seizure on the bed.

Maggie had left to go start her shift downstairs maybe 45 minutes ago, Reese the next on the list to visit.

 _Of course_ , Reese thought, _first he's coding on my watch, now seizing. What's next?_

Sarah jumped in to help Will turn Connor on to his side, a few nurses rushing in, one pushing a crash cart along with her.

Will blurted out a few names of medication that a nurse plunged into Rhodes' IV. The heart monitor was having a field day as well, Connor's heart like a race horse.

She held her colleague's side as he continued to seize, the medicine not kicking in yet.

"What could have triggered this?" she asked Will, dropping all formalities after such a long day.

Halstead put a hand through his hair, equally exhausted, and responded with a small, "I don't know," so the nurses couldn't hear him.

Slowly but surely, Connor's convulsions began to cease, Sarah letting out a sigh of relief.

Will instructed a nurse, angry, "Get a neurologist and respiratory specialist down here. Check to see if the intubation tube didn't cause any damage and have neuro report straight to my face what the hell happened here."

….


	10. Bedside Manner

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Sorry for that super long update, I hurt my knee really badly and had no time to write. Here's the next chapter and thank you to all those great fans urging me on!**

It had been a long three days for Will. He had a colleague in the hospital, his new attending duties were constantly occupying him, and on top of that, the uncooperative patient he was seeing right now.

"No, Mr. Parker," he had explained this to his argumentative patient multiple times, "It's just an endoscopy. We need to look inside your digestive tract and see if what you swallowed is causing any internal damage."

Still, his patient would grumble and not let Will touch him. Halstead just sighed, exhausted and fed up. When he had just had had enough of Mr. Parker's apprehension, Maggie gave a loud knock on the door.

"He's up," she said, out of breath as if she had run down three flights of stairs, which she probably did.

Will was immediately on his feet, turning towards his patient and saying, "Alright, Mr. Parker, I'll keep this bed pan next to you and if you feel it coming up, do it in here."

And he was out the door.

….

The first thing Rhodes noticed when he opened his eyes was why he was hearing the sound of something beeping when he should be at home in his own bed. And he should be feeling the soft, fuzziness of his own comforter but instead got a handful of thin, loose sheets. This wasn't right, and as his heavy eyelids began to adjust to the light pouring into the room, he became greatly confused.

And was that a heart monitor clip on his index? Was that the sound of his IV drip refilling?

 _What the hell?_ he thought, it beginning to dawn where he was.

His mind groggy, it took a little time for his surroundings to come to life. Slowly, a crash cart was evident in the background and he recognized his name on white board on the wall.

"W-what?" he murmured, anxiously ripping off his sheets and removing the blinking heart monitor clip from his finger.

This was not happening, nor was he going to let it.

He leaned forward, but instantly cringed. A slamming pain ripped through his abdomen, radiating throughout his body.

He gasped, toughing it out, and clutched his abdomen, ruffling his sagging, hospital gown. Gritting his teeth, Rhodes swung his feet over the bed and placed them on the floor, determined to get out of here as soon as possible.

He tried not crying out from the burning in his midsection, but couldn't help letting out a small yelp. Though he had it implanted in his mind to get the heck out of here as soon as possible. Out of here first, worry about everything else later.

His surroundings were woozy and flushed, the pain in his abdomen crushing him, and as he attempted to take a step, he couldn't stop himself from falling from the stabbing in his stomach.

He tried to reach for the bedside table on his way down, possibly to break his fall, yet didn't make it.

He heard a voice call, "Rhodes!" and stomping footsteps as someone ran over to him and propped him up with a strong grasp.

He was placed back on the bed, panting from exhaustion, and, dejectedly, faced the livid glare coming from Halstead in front of him and the lecture he was sure was going to follow suit.


	11. He Gone

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Here's the next update! Enjoy! Btw, please comment some ideas for another fanfic to follow after this one! Ideas would be greatly appreciated!**

…

"Do I need to admit you into the psych ward?" a condescending and angered voice asked, "Or are you just that stupid?"

The voice belonged to Maggie, though Halstead was furiously pacing the length of the hospital room, a hand over his mouth as if to stop himself from saying anything he'd regret.

Rhodes laid in his hospital bed, annoyance written on his face. He wasn't a child, but a board certified trauma surgeon and soon to be cardiothoracic one. He detested anyone babying or patronizing him (hence why he hated being a patient), but one thing he couldn't stand was being told off, he had had enough of that as a child. Especially with Cornelius Rhodes as a father.

"I mean there needs to be something off for you to think that getting up and about just hours after a surgery and being stabbed was a good idea!" she continued.

"Thank you, mom," Rhodes replied, voice colored with sarcasm.

"You're damn right," she lashed back.

"Look, I don't get the big deal. I went to med school too, I think I know how it goes," Rhodes added, very much hating how he lied in a hospital bed while everyone else around him stood.

"The big deal?!" Will couldn't help himself, "You ripped open your stitches again and all that hard work Dr. Schultz put in _keeping you alive_ is being wasted!"

It was true. Connor heard a _rip_ right when Will caught him (which they agreed never to speak about again) and his white gown was soon plastered in blood.

Will himself put the stitches back in, though Rhodes insisted on doing it himself. He didn't budge on changing his gown, however, if there was one thing he was going to do on his own it was changing out of his clothes.

A nurse walked in at the perfect moment, cutting Connor off from a nasty retort, and had a big smile stamped on her face.

"Alright Dr. Rhodes," everyone knew him in the hospital and about the whole stabbing ordeal, which had to be the worst part for Connor, "I'm going to administer your medication-"

She walked over and was going to lift Rhodes' sleeve when he stopped her saying, "I can do that, thank you."

Grabbing the syringe, he read to make sure the dosage was correct before plunging it in his forearm, not even wincing. The nurse stood there, no words coming to her.

Will face palmed and Maggie pursued her lips, shaking her head. Rhodes handed the needle back to her as she walked out and asked, "So whatever happened with the schizophrenic that stabbed me?"

"They never found him, he left the hospital before we had the chance to lockdown," Maggie explained.

"And don't try to go one any vendetta rampages," Halstead sighed, exhausted, "None of us can deal with that right now."

Rhodes gave Will a glare, thoroughly annoyed with his two visitors at this point. The loud beeping of Will and Maggie's pagers saved Connor from doing anymore talking.

Maggie said, "Two way car accident," then, looking at Rhodes she said, "We'll be back as soon as we can. Don't make any stupid decisions!"

Both ER staff members exited and Connor sighed in relief. He understood they cared for him and were only concerned about his welfare, but he was never the loving and caring type.

Now that he was alone, Rhodes finally endured the extent of his injuries. He put on a brave face for his friends, but man, ripping those stitches really took a toll on him. Rhodes felt nauseous and underneath his covers his hands were shaking and were unnaturally pale. He already had lost a lot of blood from his stab wound, he couldn't risk losing anymore. I mean he could take a hit, but stabbing was pushing it.

The nurse, Grace, entered again after a few minutes to see that her patient was incredibly pale and sweating. Rhodes' eyes were closed and his face was pinched in pain. She noticed how hard he was shivering and pulled the blankets up, Rhodes opening his eyes to see who it was. His sharp, blue irises screamed of misery and exhaustion and she soothingly said, "I'll make the visiting hours end a little early."

Rhodes nodded in thanks weakly and dizzily, not in the mood or mindset to see anybody.

"Get some rest and I'll higher your morphine," she said, reaching over to his IV, but felt a cold hand close around her wrist.

"No," Connor panted, "Leave it."

Although confused, Grace nodded and checked her patient's vitals before leaving again.

Rhodes couldn't stand pain medication, pain was what made us human. And he was used to pain, hell, his household growing up was one big pain in the butt.

He tried closing his eyes, but he could feel the fast workings of a pulverizing migraine setting in. He pulled up his blankets a little more, feeling like he was in Antarctica, his shivering making it seem so, and mentally prepared himself for the long night.

…..

"Visiting hours ending early…" Maggie complained, pouting at the nurses station as she reiterated what the nurse told her, "Early my-"

"Now, now," April chuckled, "We can put the claws away."

Maggie didn't hear her. Just continued to stare straight ahead in a slump, "I mean what does she know anyways?"

April just rolled her eyes and left her sulking friend, knowing there was no getting through to her until she saw Rhodes when visiting hours opened back up again later this morning.

Natalie ended up straying towards the nurse's station and upon seeing Maggie in a pout, walked over, concerned.

"Maggie, what's wrong?" she asked.

"The healthcare system," she said back, grouchily.

Manning smiled, laughing at her friend's complaint, and said, "Visiting hours start in 20 minutes, find me and we'll go up and say hi together."

Maggie halfheartedly nodded and Natalie laughed away, laughing.

Her pager went off and twenty minutes soon breezed by.

….

"When I came up and checked on him last night he was fine, sassy if I might add, but vitals were stable and-" Maggie abruptly cut off her conversation with Natalie and dropped her coffee cup on the floor, making it spill everywhere.

"Maggie! What's wrong?" Manning demanded, noticing the shock written on her friend's face.

But Maggie couldn't respond, just stood staring at the empty room ahead of them. No doctor or patient in sight. Which was the problem.

Seeing how Maggie wasn't going to respond, Natalie looked around and a familiar name on the door tag caught her attention.

It read: **C. RHODES.**

"What the-" Natalie strode into the room and saw used covers strewn all over the bed, small blood stains along the white sheets, and no Dr. Connor Rhodes in sight.


	12. Sneaky Psych Pt 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. And...update! Thanks for the great reviews and sorry for the long pause...but it keeps you on your toes for the next chapter! Please review and enjoy :) NEXT CHAPTER IS THE LAST CHAPTER**

 **...**

 **The hospital ceiling loomed high above me as I walked through the threshold and approached the front desk. A bored looking employee asked for something, but I couldn't hear her.**

 ** _YOU FOOL!_**

 **I flinched as my old friend screamed into my ear.**

 ** _Go away_** **…was my weak attempt to chase him off. Though I never could.**

 ** _You're trying to shove me out?! I know what you're thinking, I'll always know!_** **he responded, his angry voice full of menace.**

 **A new, familiar voice filled my brain,** ** _You can't hind from us, Sal, you know better than that_** **. Her voice was full of amusement and deception.**

 **"** **Sir," someone else's statement called me back to reality, and I shook my head as if clearing away bad thoughts.**

 **The woman sitting behind the desk glared at me in annoyance, an obvious line forming behind me.**

 **"** **I-I" I couldn't speak, not with all the commotion in my mind, "I…"**

 **A blinding pain racked my head and I rubbed my temples in a desperate attempt at relief.**

 ** _She's done with you, you dirty brat, and you're taking up all of her damn time_** **, she scolded me.**

 **He jumped in to add,** ** _GET AWAY FROM HER BEFORE YOU INFECT HER WITH YOUR GERMS!_**

 **I stumbled back in a scurry, hoping that I didn't hurt the woman in front of me. Not like Dad did. As she rose from her rolling chair, beginning to call after me, I high tailed it down the hall and pushed through a set of swinging doors. All the while, my "friends" laughing in my head in a blurry daze.**

 ** _…_** ** _._**

 _"_ What do you mean you don't know where he is?!" Maggie grilled Nurse Grace, still in bewilderment that one of her best friends was just gone without a trace.

"I _mean_ that I wasn't on shift and my replacement was responsible at the time," the ICU nurse had it with the ER staff, their mysterious getaways, and bossy head nurses, "I sent a report to security and told the administration. He can't go far."

"Thank you," Natalie quickly interjected before Maggie could get in a nasty word, leading her steaming friend away from the nurse's station.

She turned to face Maggie, reassuring her by adding, "I called and gave Mrs. Goodwin the run down, she's going to meet us here and with a log of who was on shift for Nurse Grace."

Maggie let out a sigh, worry, stress, anger, and fear etched in the lines of her expression.

Sure Super Surgeon was strong and able to take a hit, but being stabbed? Losing pints of blood? Almost dying? And now POOF?!

Yeah, Maggie wasn't happy.

….

Little did they know that Connor was safely under the watchful eye of Dr. Charles, who popped into his favorite surgeon's room for a visit. The psychiatrist knew how antsy and unhappy Rhodes was, lying in his white, hospital bed, and deemed it physically and mentally a good idea to get in a few laps around the floor. He knew Connor and could only imagine how hard he would push himself into being mobile again if he hadn't even walked in several days. Rhodes would jump right back to work and possibly relapse into an even worse state.

So there they were, the gingerly walking Dr. Connor Rhodes and keeping the slow pace with him was Dr. Daniel Charles.

Rhodes was sweaty from the exertion, already two laps in, and, though he tried not to show it, was breathing heavily from pain and exhaustion. But boy it felt good to use his legs again. Dr. Charles always said a polite hello to whomever walked by, those he greeted returning the smile to the psych and shooting a pitiful glare at the barely mobile Rhodes.

"You know, I'll take that sedative now," Rhodes joked, Dr. Charles smirking in response.

"Sorry, Connor, got one syringe left and a whole psych department to please."

They slowly trekked on, Rhodes hanging onto the wall for support. Dr. Charles didn't make a move to help his colleague either, knowing how much Connor would hate it if he wasn't even able to walk alone. He kept him company and could see the joy in Rhodes' eyes, realizing his method was working.

….

 ** _RUN, SAL, RUN!_** **the woman taunted, mockingly, in his ear.**

 ** _FASTER!_** **the man also screamed, both laughing in unison.**

 **My vision was a blur and the only thing that kept me upright were my legs as I sprinted through the halls.**

 **Some people stopped and tried to ask why I was running, but I was gone as soon as the words left their mouths. Down the hallways, through the doors, and eventually finding myself in an elevator, those around me looking uneasy.**

 ** _See, now you're scaring them. You're going to infect them too!_** **he screamed.**

 **I was shaking and very anxious, trying to block out his booming voice, his was the one that scared me the most. What he said stuck in my thoughts though, like the lasting effects one has after a nightmare. I didn't want to hurt these people. In fact, I wanted to save them from my contagious sickness my "friends" kept screaming in my ears about.**

 **And that's why, as soon as the elevator doors opened wide in front of me, I bolted out of the confined space and down the hall.**

 _…_ _._

Rhodes finally closed his eyes and panted in relief. Dr. Charles had gone to find some water for the both of them, though he knew Connor needed it much more than he did. Leaving Rhodes sitting down on a bench in the hallway, he finally felt the extent of his severe injuries after just a few laps around the ICU floor. Although his body screamed in protest and agony, Rhodes was jovial and a smile was plastered on his sweaty, exhausted face.

Now when he slowly limp-walked back to his hospital room he could look forward to a nice, long nap. He glanced down at his baggy gown and was equally pleased to see no blood stains marred the antiseptic white fabric. At least Halstead and Maggie wouldn't chew his brains out about ruining another perfectly good hospital gown.

But just as Rhodes started to dwell on the fact that Maggie would be furious at him for disappearing without notice, a terrified scream from down the hall, followed by a loud thud, caught his attention. He paused, completely still, and listened to see if it was some unruly patient. But there was no stream of security guards running past him, no indication that anyone was coming. And what really set his alarms off was that he remembered that specific hallway led to the operating rooms, there were no patients there, unless you were unconscious.

After not hearing another sound for almost a minute longer, Rhodes' thoughts went haywire.

 _Am I dreaming? No one else heard that? Am I going crazy?!_

Yet, a hair-raising shriek pulled him out of his mental battle and had him up and on his feet in a flash, ignoring the stabbing pain in his stomach.

Connor heard a few more loud shouts once more and instantly moved in the direction of the voices, his adrenaline pumping and nerves on edge. Someone was in trouble, and he damn well was going to help out.


	13. Face Off

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. I really apologize for tha break but you guys don't even know how harsh my week in school was. Here's a chapter to make up for it ;) NEXT CHAPTER IS OFFICIALLY THE LAST since if I put it all in this one it would be really really long...love all the reviews, but would love to get even more! Enjoy!**

Dr. Charles returned only to see an empty bench and two full cups of water in his hands.

"Connor?" he called, desperately hoping his colleague was very successfully hiding underneath the lone bench in an otherwise empty hallway.

He ducked down and checked under the seat anyways, just for kicks, even though it was perfectly visible from where he stood.

The psychiatrist let out a defeated sigh, there was no reeling in this guy.

 _…_ _.._

Connor, idiotically, ignored the jabbing pain in his stomach and cautiously, yet determinedly, continued down the hospital hall in the direction of the shout he heard. He'd been a doctor, and a Chicago native, long enough to know the distinct cry of distress.

As he slowly made his way down the corridor, there was no other indication of any noise, which made him move even more slowly as he reached the end of the hall.

Rhodes' next left would determine what he saw, whether he was putting his own life in danger, if there was any danger at all. But he could feel it, deep down, as the hair stood on the back of his neck, that something very bad was occurring.

He took a breath and swiveled to his left, eyes widening. Rhodes stood, frozen, as he stared at the scene before him. Unsure what to do.

….

 _ **Kill her!**_

 _ **No! Keep her, she can help us on the way out.**_

 _ **What did you do, Sal? Are you trying to kill us? That's it, isn't it! That's exactly what you're doing!**_

 _ **Murderer!**_

 **"** **Stop!" I shouted in a desperate attempt to shut the raving voices in my head up.**

 **It was their fault I was in this big of a mess. They're the ones that told me the cure was up here so I couldn't hurt people anymore. I never wanted to do that, I wanted to save them from myself. The man and woman told me to come up here and ask this lady, wearing scrubs? Huh, weird. They told me she was part of the government and that I had to be forceful with her. Which is why I'm glad they also told me to bring that gun before we left the house.**

 **But now, stuck somewhere on the third floor of some government agency, I was holding the barrel of my gun to the government lady's back. And she was crying.**

 ** _She's crying because she knows you're going to hurt her!_ the women hissed in my ear.**

 **I flinched, thinking as if that would rid me of her snarling voice.**

 **"** **Please…" the lady I held in a tight embrace sobbed, "I won't tell anybody…I swear!"**

 **"** **I'm so sorry," I said helplessly back to her, trying to explain I didn't mean any harm, "They're making me do it, I have to!"**

 **I almost shed a tear myself, I hated making people scared.**

 **I barely heard her scream a loud, "HELP!" before my hand automatically clasped her mouth shut.**

 **"** **Shhhhhh!" I instinctively pressed the gun harder to her lower back. It was only us two on the floor, I knocked out the other three other ladies, and I was finally ready to get what I needed.**

 **"** **The medicine," I whispered in her ear, my hand still over her mouth, "I need the cure."**

 ** _You need this cure to stop contaminating people! You're killing them!_ the man's voice urged.**

 **She continued to cry but stayed quiet as I removed my hand and she weakly said- for the seventh time- "I don't know what you're talking about, sir. Let me just call someone-"**

 **"** **NO!" I yelled as the man's voice in my ear screamed too.**

 **She flinched and sobbed again before I put my hand back and twisted her around; I was becoming agitated that this woman wasn't helping me when I was trying to help her. Save her.**

 **"** **Stop!" someone called from down the empty hall. As I looked up, I saw a black haired, blue eyed man with a funny looking white dress on. I raised my gun, pointing it at this newcomer.**

 _…_

It was as if Rhodes was in a dream. One minute he's staring at someone who looked eerily familiar, tightly holding a sobbing nurse in his arms, and the next this man's gun was suddenly pointed at him.

 _Play it slow, Connor_ , he told himself.

Man, he was regretting not informing Dr. Charles about his whereabouts. He could barely walk, let alone save this woman without getting shot.

Then it hit him. Like a freight train.

"You…" Connor whispered to himself, no one else hearing it but him. He remembered this gunman in a clinic room two floors down a few days before. Head pain, then he found himself with a large piece of metal in his abdomen. This was the man that stabbed him. This was the man that was going to pay.

He vaguely remembered the patient mentioning voices, which caused Rhodes to reach for the phone in the first place….

"Sal," Rhodes couldn't believe he remembered the man's name from his chart, "My name is Dr. Connor Rhodes. We've met before, remember?"

He kept his voice even and calm, knowing the only way to save all their lives was with his mind.

A look of confusion marred the man's face, as if trying to remember, and the gun faltered.

Rhodes took a hesitant step forward and the gun was back in its place. Pointed straight at his gut.

"Look," Sal's voice was shaky, and his expression looked…scared, "Don't come any closer, I don't want to hurt you too."

 _Too late_ , Rhodes dryly thought, realizing this man was too far gone to even know he had almost killed Connor once before.

"Sal," he tried again, "What are the voices saying, huh? What are they telling you?"

Rhodes took one more step forward, the nurse's eyes widening in fear. Connor kept his hands elevated, palms open, showing he meant no harm.

Sal shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind, and looked up desperately.

"That I'm going to kill you."

 _Perfect_ , Rhodes thought, sarcastically.

"Why Sal? We're friends, aren't we?" Rhodes was crazy enough to take one more step, trying anything to keep this mad conversation going long enough until he had the remnants of a plan.

"I'm going to hurt you, and I don't want to," the man's voice showed real sincerity.

"You can only hurt me if you decide to," Connor stalled, noticing the quiet movements of the SWAT team behind Sal. _Thank goodness._

 _Just a little longer_ , he told himself, _Almost there._

He was close enough now to reach out and touch the nurse, though he didn't dare. Not with a gun so close in vicinity to him and her.

"B-but they…they want me to…" he couldn't finish, fighting an internal battle Rhodes couldn't see.

 ** _FINISH HIM!_ both man and woman practically shrieking in Sal's brain.**

"NO!" Sal yelled back, not letting them define his actions anymore. Just this once, he was going to be the boss.

And he did as the man in front of him said, he lowered the gun and let the lady go. But the man stayed in front of him. Sympathy in his eyes, not fear.

...

Rhodes knew he had gotten through to Sal as his eyes seemed to clear from a foggy dream, blinking hard. Sal let the nurse go and dropped the gun, but Rhodes was now in the predicament with almost 50 SWAT officers surrounding him. This guy's mind was extremely delicate, especially now that he was somewhat lucid. One mistaken movement could set this guy off.

"Now, Sal," Connor improvised, "you're going to follow me and we're going to go down sit down behind the desk together."

The schizophrenic slightly nodded, a small look of confusion in his eyes.

"Okay," Rhodes said, not reassuring himself in the slightest. If an officer even moved they could be in big trouble.

And, of course, one of them did. An officer standing to his left, gun pointed straight at Sal's chest, emerged from the ring of SWAT members and briskly walked forward. Ordering the madman to lay flat on the ground.

Sal looked up, breath quickening, and turned back at Rhodes, desperation and hysteria in his eyes once more.

"No…." he mumbled, "No, you're one of them. You're one of them! You're trying to lock me up again! You're one of those sick government agents! Well, not anymore!"

 _What? Government agents? Spying?_ But Rhodes didn't have time to think about how delusional this man was any longer.

Because Sal lunged.

The next thing Rhodes knew he was lying flat on his back, Sal on top of him, with his hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing. Connor's vision went blurry and he felt a gushing, warm liquid flow freely from his side. But that was the least of his worries as his lungs inflated with no air to compensate. Sal's grip was cutting off his airway and the only thing Rhodes could do was stare into his crazed eyes.

 _Well at least that nurse is okay_ …and Rhodes' eyes closed.

...


	14. Finale

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. I updated, it's a Christmas miracle! Actually I was trying to update this two days ago but the website wouldn't let me...Thank you to all those who supported and kept up with me along the way. The reviews were outstanding and I hope you all enjoy this nice, long final chapter. Happy Holidays!**

….

Loud yells in the distance. Fluorescent lights passing overhead. The whooshing of a gurney beneath him. All of these things Rhodes experienced as he strolled in and out of consciousness.

"Clear the way!" a blurry figure above him, running with the steadfast gurney, shouted like a drill sergeant.

 _Halstead?_

But Rhodes was hardly able to think more on the matter as an overwhelming tsunami of pain erupted in his abdomen and his mind was smart enough to call "lights out".

Will, panting as he ran a marathon with Rhodes' gurney to the ORs, could not believe the events that had just unfolded.

There he was in the ED, treating an elderly woman for a sore throat, when the metal doors slammed shut in all the exits (twice now) and the blaring sirens were activated.

Instantly, SWAT team members slithered into the ER floor, moving like shadows upstairs. Halstead only knew one person upstairs where SWAT was headed, and he had a feeling a certain Dr. Rhodes had something to do with their appearance.

He ran after them, dread sneaking into his mind, and was appalled to find a ring of armed men surrounding a crying nurse, a crazed man, and a familiar patient in a gown.

And was that a gun in the insane guy's hand?

Police officers pulled him back and quieted him before Will could call out, not seeing how tense the situation was. So he watched from a distance as his friend cleverly addressed the situation, got the nurse free, but wasn't so lucky himself.

Just as progress was being made, an overly eager SWAT officer moved forward, Will watching as the man screamed incomprehensible words and pummeled Rhodes to the floor.

This time, no officers could keep him at bay as Halstead fought against the cop's embrace, calling out for his friend as the schizophrenic rained punches down on him.

A surge of SWAT officers erupted onto the gunman, pulling him of Rhodes, who lay motionless on the floor. Only when the police had apprehended and wrestled the attacker to the ground did the police officer finally let him go.

"Rhodes!" he yelled, running to his friend and dropping to his knees.

He looked down at Connor, unresponsive and shallowly breathing, and he went numb. Blood stained the once spotless hospital gown and was spilling onto the floor, the bleeding originating from his newly ripped stitches. The gushing red from his stomach didn't stop the fact that Rhodes' face was bleeding from the several, hard punches the crazy man threw. He was unconscious and growing pale extremely fast, Halstead finally snapping back into reality.

Dr. Charles unexpectedly emerged from the sea of SWAT and knelt down next to Will, stunned beyond words, but immediately asking his colleague, "What do you need?"

"Gauze," Will quickly demanded, working to save his friend, "We need to stabilize this bleeding as soon as possible. A stapler too for a quick repair, but get a gurney down here and and OR clear, now! He ripped open his stitches but there seems to be some more damage internally. We have to get him operated on or he's going to bleed out."

Dr. Charles was on his feet in an instant and disappearing down the hall. Will, Rhodes' blood now reaching his shoes, clamped his hands over Connor's abdomen, willing the bleeding to stop. He went over his basic skills, his mind moving in a hundred directions.

 _Airway, clear. Breathing, clear. Circulation, not good. Where's Dr. Charles and that damn gauze?_

As if on cue, Dave came briskly down the hall, followed by a team of nurses pulling a gurney along with them.

The rescue squad knelt down next to Connor, who was now slightly moaning, and were about to slip him onto the gurney when Halstead shouted, "Wait!"

Everyone froze, looking at the ER attending for directions.

"When the gunman tackled him, his head hit the floor first," Will could now see the image of Rhodes' skull colliding with the tiled floor, the sound of bone hitting the ground, "Someone, C-spine."

The team did as they were told and they were running down the halls in under a minute, Halstead sat on top of his colleague who was being loaded onto the gurney, his hands still on Rhodes' gushing wound, as they rushed to the ORs.

"Move out of the way!" Halstead screamed at those in their path. He glanced back down at his friend and saw his blue eyes open, but dazed. He groaned, tried looking around, and, accepting failure, closed his eyes once more and drifted.

Just then, the portable EKG machine attached to Rhodes' finger blared in distress.

"His heart's failing, too much blood loss!"

….

"Damn it," Ethan cussed under his breath as blood splattered onto his gown, Rhodes' blood. His friend.

"Choi, you stabilize the hemorrhage?" Halstead barely had time to concentrate as he worked to stop the gushing flow of blood from Connor's leg.

Choi cursed again as he tended Rhodes' cracked skull, the impact of his head on the tiled, hospital floor as his attacker pummeled him to the floor cracked open the bone, soon staining the floor red. Thank goodness they did C-spine.

"Just about, but stats aren't looking good," Ethan responded, shaking his head.

"What do we got?" Natalie briskly walked in, matching the present two ER doctors in a gown and goggles.

"Just about good here, Nat," Choi stepped back from his unconscious, critical patient, sighing.

Rhodes was no where near fine, but just about stable enough for transport to the OR to stop any damage to his stomach that his ripped stitches caused and to finish the treatment to his skull.

"Actually," Halstead called from the lower end of the gurney, the small trauma room on the third floor barely big enough for the small group, "Come finish up these sutures, I'm going to check on the wound we packed."

Manning expertly stepped in and closed the gapping laceration on Rhodes' upper thigh as Halstead moved up to his midsection to readdress the endlessly bleeding cut on his abdomen.

Will mumbled a series of obscene phrases as he noticed the blood red gauze half-haphazardly draped on the once closed stitches. But what frightened and worried Halstead the most was the deep purplish color gradually spreading across his abdomen, an indication of a troublesome diagnosis.

"Stop," Will demanded, Ethan and Natalie looking up in confusion and angst, "He's internally bleeding, if he isn't opened up in the next seven minutes were going to pass the point of no return."

His two colleagues nodded in agreement and each efficiently worked to finish their tasks in order to ship their friend to the surgical floor.

Choi sighed once more, not caring if his exhaustion and anxiety revealed itself. They were trained for this, for the worst case scenario in any situation, and goodness had Ethan seen it all. But nothing can compare to the blow as hard as when one of your own is lying on that table.

 _Dammit, Rhodes. Had to go and get yourself in the middle of a standoff, didn't you?_

Just as the orderlies Halstead had paged entered to wheel the gurney to the OR, something caught Ethan's eye. Something to make him stop dead in his tracks.

He was like electricity, jumping to action in seconds, "Stop! Don't move this gurney. Natalie, we're going to need padding," he looked up from Rhodes' skull, "and lots of it."

Worry tinged his voice, not helping his fear in anyway.

"Choi, what is it?" Halstead stated, all emotion void from his voice, Natalie looking at him in questioning as well.

But Ethan couldn't move, just kept his eyes fixated on his friend's head, his voice catching in his throat.

"Ethan," Manning demanded, needing to know what caused Choi to freeze like that.

Choi finally snapped out of his momentary daze, looking at his confused friends straight in the eye, "He's got battle signs, possible head fracture or hemorrhage."

Natalie looked at the ground, trying to suppress the tears threatening to fall as she watched her close friend visibly decline, but sucked in a big breath and cleared her emotions.

Halstead, on the other hand, acted as if he wasn't even thinking, giving instructions to the orderlies in a matter of seconds.

"Take him to an emergency head CT, no excepti-"

"No."

Halstead paused, greatly confused, and glanced to where the statement came from. His eyes landed on Choi, who had a scalpel in his hands and was staring directly in the middle of Rhodes' skull.

Their friend was still unresponsive on the bed, hooked up to a ventilator and a variety of machines.

"We open him up here, now."

Ethan now shifted his gaze upwards, looking Will and Natalie in turn dead in the eyes. His own reflected uncertainty, frenzy, and determination.

There was a long pause, only the slightly irregular sound of Rhodes' heart monitor breaking the complete silence, until Halstead, nonchalantly said, desperation clear in his tone, "Alright."

The orderlies cleared as Manning shut the door and curtains, holding her breath in nervousness. Halstead moved to Choi's slightly quivering form, who held the fine pointed scalpel directly over Connor's head.

The metal instrument in Choi's hand made a clean incision in Rhodes' skull, blood flooding the trauma bay.

….

Rhodes was in a living paradise, lounging with his beautiful sister, grinning dad, and adoring mother.

Connor was content, his mind finally resting after almost 15 years of emptiness and guilt. Their family was together again, a whole.

His mother looked especially stunning on the soft sand they were laying on, sun rays making her glow and sea spray adding to her glory. She smiled her familiar smile at Rhodes, who laughed in return.

He fell onto his back, the towel and sand cushioning his fall, and he sighed in enjoyment. Here he was, laughing with his mom, actually talking with his dad, and nothing could be better.

A deep, aching started to develop from the back of his head, almost like someone was drilling a hole in that spot.

 _Ow_ , he thought to himself, reaching with his hand there instinctively. Nothing was there, no blood, sand, a possible crab. Nothing to explain his sudden, sharp pain.

And there it was again, except much stronger and penetrating, Rhodes visibly curling in on himself to escape the searing pain in his skull.

He couldn't stop a moan from escaping his lips as he shifted from side to side. He could swear he felt something breaking into his head.

 _What the hell?!_ he thought, fear rising in his throat.

His family seemed to not notice as they continued to laugh and playfully throw sand at each other.

Rhodes was clearly not having as good of a time as his blinding pain spread aggressively to his side, right where his stomach lay. He lifted up his shirt, and almost screamed to find blood dripping from a new, unclosed wound there.

He glanced wildly, almost as if he was looking for the answers, but couldn't make out a single word. His eyes locked with his mother's, the only one who seemed to notice him at all, let alone his struggle, and whispered in her melodic voice, "You've got to wait a little longer for this to come true."

As she winked, Connor, deeply confused at what she meant, felt an unmeasurable pain erupting throughout his body. His mind swirled away from the beautiful beach and his family together again.

He ended up in the dark prison that was his unconscious mind.

….

Slurred voices. That's all he could make out.

Rhodes refused to open his eyes; it seemed as if the sun was penetrating through his eyelids, even though they were tightly shut closed.

But still, he could hear the light whispers of a pair immersed in their conversation.

" _…._ barely made it off the table. His body is spent from the back to back operations and lack of rest."

"That's what I've been saying, he needs rest. But heaven forbid if he listens."

Connor moaned, the only thing he could do to shut the pair up. It seemed to work as the two figures strode up to him, finally silent, while he won the battle against his drooping eyelids, opening his weary eyes.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," came the wry comment.

Halstead.

Connor groaned once more.

He took in the sights around him, once more in a hospital bed with more tubes sticking out in all directions, and the two livid faces of Will and Maggie.

 _Maybe I should've kept my eyes closed._

An especially furious nurse Lockwood broke the ice by quickly exploding, "I cannot believe you put all of us through this level of worry and…"

And Maggie launched into her rant, Connor's dazed mind not being able to keep up with her words, however. Her words barely registered in Connor's mind, and the world took a sudden turn to the left…

Halstead seemed to notice the paleness of Rhodes' features, his heavy breathing, and shivers as he cut Maggie off mid-sentence, a dangerous move, "Hey, Maggie, why don't we continue this when Rhodes is on his feet."

She stared Will down hard for a few seconds before conceding, taking a step back, then turning and walking out the door, begrudgingly grumbling her goodbyes. Classic Maggie.

Rhodes made eye contact with Will, silently thanking him. He sighed, knowing he didn't need to put up any performances now that Sheriff Lockwood had gone.

He wasn't feeling that good at all, actually. The world was dangerously spinning at this point and Rhodes pulled his blanket even higher, gathering as much warmth as he could.

 _Why was the room freezing?_

"Mind turning on the heat?" Connor's teeth chattered, almost disappearing in his thin covers.

"No thermostats in hospital rooms," Will answered, feeling quite warm on the contrary.

"Just checking."

 _I guess sarcasm didn't miraculously go away_ , Will thought, theoretically rolling his eyes.

Connor knew he had to keep his mind busy or else he wouldn't last that long until darkness encompassed him once more, "So, what's the verdict?"

Halstead sighed and crossed his arm, getting ready to recite the long list of injuries Connor endured, "Collapsed lung, cranial hemorrhaging, internal bleeding, stomach laceration, fractured collarbone, 2 broken ribs, and a dislocated wrist."

Even Connor thought that was pushing it, but played it cool for his colleague.

"What," he joked, "that's it?"

Will laughed along with Rhodes, who broke off in a coughing fit and winced in pain as the gesture disturbed his bruised ribs. The smile on Halstead's face instantly disappeared.

"Got a few visitors too," Halstead mentioned, trying to change the subject to ease Rhodes' pain, keeping him busy.

"Yeah? People still not running for the hills after they heard I saved a woman and stopped a gunman?" he coughed once more, his head plopping back on the pillow in exhaustion. His blue eyes were rimmed with red.

"No, bashing our heads in worked pretty well," Halstead continued the charade, "but, if I recall correctly, he tackled you to the floor and you dropped like a rock."

"Tomato, toMato," he answered, eyes halfway shut in delirium.

Will smiled but drove his point home, wanting to cement in Connor the fact that this wasn't like jamming your finger or stubbing your toe.

"Connor, this wasn't easy, Dr. Schultz said you were this close to not making it off the table. You can't keep pulling stunts like this."

"I know, I know, but me and death have a complicated relationship."

They were both quiet for a moment, reveling in the seriousness of the situation.

"Well, the gunman, who also was identified as your initial attacker when you were first stabbed, has been taken into custody, which Dr. Charles personally assessed," Halstead added, "and the nurse you saved has sent you at least 10 different fruit baskets."

Rhodes smiled, but was too tired to register Halstead's words. Will, seeing this, said, "Why not I come on by with Ethan and Goodwin later on, leave you to it, and check back in in a few hours."

Connor nodded, wanting to answer back, grateful towards the suggestion, but he couldn't formulate words. His weary mind wasn't up to it. Before he could nod once more, his eyes had already closed.

…..

 _Three and a half weeks._

That length of time played over and over in Connor's head, glad that those 25 days of hell were over. He was back on his feet, in his scrubs, and filling out a patient's chart in the ER, just where he wanted to be.

In those horrible three weeks, Rhodes cursed, barfed, bled, coughed, and cursed some more in his frustrating recovery after almost dying…again. His stitches, which had ripped open two more times since the gunman frenzy, were going to finally be removed this afternoon, but would leave a nasty scar as a result of all the instances they were pulled out of place.

His head was healing too, those stitches weren't going to come out for a while yet, but the hospital's neurosurgeon and Dr. Charles himself had cleared him for work. And here he was, breathing in the blood, sweat, and tears of the ER. Rhodes smiled.

He couldn't move too fast though, his broken ribs protesting, and he subtly hid his cast, keeping his dislocated wrist in place under a dark long sleeve. He couldn't do anything about the sling that harbored his broken collarbone, however, but he only wore it for show when he first walked in for work just to please Maggie. There was no way Connor Rhodes was going to wear that stupid thing all day.

His sister called, even stopped by, after hearing about Connor's injuries; his dad's secretary's assistant called to leave a "get well soon" message on Cornelius Rhodes' behalf. He didn't reply.

 _Guess you almost die, but the world stays the same_ , Connor thought in dark amusement.

It was alright, though, he had all the family he wanted right here in the hospital. All his coworkers, Natalie, Will, Maggie, April, Dave, Goodwin, Choi, Sarah, and a few more hospital staff members came to visit and help him in his recovery.

The getting up and walking was a little tough, though he dared not to show even a sign of discomfort to make sure he could get back to work as soon as possible. It was hard getting past Halstead, however, that guy had eyes like a freaking hawk.

Week 1 must have been the worst, where he felt his injuries the most, but as if they were amplified by a thousand. He endured the pain, vomiting sometimes because of it, but never took morphine. _That's not what a Rhodes would do_ , his dad's favorite motto.

And every night he dreamed of his mom, especially in the spell of time from when he was first rushed into surgery to when he woke up. The world was a haze then, bandages and stitches covering his entire body and Choi playing it a little too overconfident at his life-saving catch of Rhodes' head injury.

But now, he was back to work.

The rush of the gurneys, the sirens of the ambulances, the influx of patients with all different injuries. Gunshots, knife wounds, split skull, crash crashes. It was all here and Rhodes didn't want to be anywhere else. He finished the patient's chart he was working on with his signature when he heard the overhead intercom call:

"Dr. Rhodes to the ER. Dr. Rhodes to the ER."

And he obligingly answered the call.


End file.
